A number of European giants are said to be buzzing around the signature of Brazilian starlet Mosquito, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Juventus mentioned as some of the front-runners in the race.

The 17-year-old has attracted increased attention since starring for Brazil's Under-17 side at the U17 World Cup six weeks ago, according to Ed Malyon of the Mirror.

There, Mosquito's side were knocked out by Mexico at the quarterfinal stage after losing a penalty shootout 11-10, in which the striker scored his side's first but dramatically missed Brazil's last, decisive attempt.

Having said that, his biggest highlight came in the South Americans' opening group encounter against Slovakia when, per Transfermarkt, Mosquito pitched in with a hat-trick and two assists in the 6-1 victory.

Who needs a player like Mosquito most?

Who needs a player like Mosquito most?

Manchester United

61.7%

Chelsea

22.5%

Real Madrid

5.4%

Juventus

10.4%

Total votes: 1,620

Malyon writes that Chelsea are willing to pay the £4 million that the forward's representatives are said to be demanding, although no move can come to fruition until the youngster turns 18 this January.

Mosquito currently plays in the youth ranks at Atletico Paranaense and is yet to make a surge into the senior ranks due to issues that occurred as a result of his controversial move from Vasco da Gama.

Along with midfielder Nathan and fellow attacker Kenedy, Mosquito is seen as one of the most promising teenagers in this current Under-17 Brazilian side.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United have a long history of Brazilian players, each club boasting their fair share of stars from the South American hot spot in their current rosters.

Rafael and Anderson both currently wear the United shirt, while David Luiz and Willian are two of Chelsea's representatives.

However, some players from the continent have preferred the move to mainland Europe in recent years, seeing the style of football promoted in Serie A and La Liga as a more suitable translation of their talents.

More recently, one might look upon the likes of Uruguay's Edinson Cavani rejecting Manchester City for PSG, per the Mirror's Ben Burrows, or Diego Costa turning away from a Liverpool bid, per the Express' Charles Perrin, as examples of such a mentality.

In a bid to add some sting to their respective attacks, Europe's giants are likely to keep an eye on Mosquito's situation, which is likely to progress once the player comes of age in the new year.